Written Off
by shipperscifi
Summary: How does Elizabeth Weir feel about being written off?


Atlantis was silent. Halls and laboratories lay deep in shadow and a skeleton crew sat at the controls, wearing sombre expression as they moved queitly about their business. There existed a calm that was never found during the bustle of daily life, and the moonlight, combined with the distant crashing of waves, leant a surreal quality to the whole city.

With measured step, Sheppard crossed the Gateroom and mounted the steps, under the watchful gaze of the silent 'Gate. Unnoticed, or ignored, he slipped into the control room and made his way to the office, ignoring the neat lines and carefully arranged objects of other worlds he went directly to the balcony.

The door slid open noiselessly under his fingers and he stepped into the chill air of a seabreeze, the breaking waves suddenly louder as they crashed into the walls of the city far below. The moonlight shone brightly from twin moons,the only sisters visible in the night sky, their siblings hidden from view. The horizon stretched for miles, a flat and lonely plain, seething with life underneath its tranquil surface. Above the stars glittered coldly against the velvet deep and his thoughts turned briefly to the peoples they had met, scattered across the vastness of space, barely a stone's throw away in expanse of the cosmos.

And then he saw her, standing by the rail, her eyes on the view as if she had never left. A wave of familiarity washed over him, leaving him cold.

'Elizabeth?' he asked, incredulous.

'Yes?' she turned slightly, in profile. He hadn't made a mistake. it was her.

'You shouldn't be here,' he replied, aware of the chasm that existed between his statement and her presence. He stood in the doorway, hesitant to move incase she disappeared, blown away by the wind, as insubstantial as air.

'I know,' she paused, 'but I-'

'-Couldn't keep away,' he finished, understanding.

She smiled, just a little, and relaxed, nodding. 'It was always beautiful out here, even now, on another world with strange moons and a stranger ocean. But it's still lovely. I missed it too much. I miss Atlantis and everything we were building here.'

'We still are,' but without you, he added silently.

'I know,' she replied, hearing the words he didn't speak.

'Elizabeth,' he began, then stopped unsure of how to go on. Instead he walked over to join her, leaning aginst the rail as she turned to face him.

'I shouldn't be here? I should go?'

A smile, but it was dry, cold. He didn't answer, he didn't need to.

'You know what sucks?' she declared suddenly, looking back out across the city.

'What?' he asked, the smile suddenly real at her use of the word, and here he'd thought he was always the childish one between the two of them.

'The storyline. I mean, I was captured, what?, twenty feet away? You hesitated far longer than you would have if you'd had a say in it. You would have yanked me out of there like that!' She finished by lifting her hand and snapping her fingers.

'I know,' he sighed, turning to face the ocean, leaning crossed arms on the rail. 'But there was still a chance we could have pulled you out of there even so. We'd attacked the Asurans before, McKay's got a sharp mind, Carter's even better and she was here within twenty-four hours of your departure-'

'And I not even cold in my grave!' Elizabeth interjected, a trace of venom lacing her tones.

'Elizabeth,' he responded reprovingly, 'you know it wasn't her fault.'

'I know,' she replied, her voice softer, 'I liked Carter.'

'Liked?' He emphasised the d.

'Yeah. I guess non-existence is really getting to me, I keep slipping into past tenses. Bad habit.'

'I can't blame you, it's been a while now, and they dragged you back for, what? Two episodes before dropping you like a hot rock? Is that what being jilted is like?'

'Oh, that's charming! I see you're still tactful as ever.'

'Sorry,' he replied, offering an apologetic grin. 'Actually, I am sorry, not just for that, but for forgetting you. I didn't exactly push to get you back, did I? Didn't nick a puddlejumper and come racing after you like I would for any other member of my team.'

She shrugged, 'it wasn't your fault, John, you were scripted to do that. Again, not exactly like you, was it?'

'God, no! I've gone into almost certain death to grab the others before now, attacking a few Asurans wouldn't have been a chore. I'm the hero, remember? It's supposed to be my forte. Especially with Ronan shooting at things on one side and Teyla kicking ass on the other. McKay would have sorted out some nifty little plan...'

'Buts, ifs and maybes,' Elizabeth took up where he trailed off. 'Its a shame the influence onyl runs one way, them to us, not us to them. They killed me off in bad circumstances, right after they blew up Carson-'

'Someone say my name?' The Scottish accent was still as prominent as ever, and the eternally optimistic medic stepped up on the other side of Elizabeth, the perpetual grin still in place. 'What are we talkin' ah-boot?'

Silence.

'What?' he asked, innocently, raising an eyebrow at the two astonished faces, staring at him.

'Well,' Sheppard finally said, 'this is my dream and she's dead. I know why we're here. What about you?'

Ah thought, if we're talking 'boot gettin' written oot, mah experience might be relevant.'

'You got to come back!' Elizabeth exclaimed, 'the writers capitulated and let you back in, they left me for dead.'

'Ah know, and ah'm sorry 'boot that,' Beckett replied consolingly, laying a hand on her shoulder. 'Ah didna think it was fair either. Nor did the viewers. You should see tha fanfic and the griping online.'

I did,' Elizabeth sighed disconsolantly, 'it was some consolation I guess.'

'Cold comfort,' John snorted derisively, choking slightly when two pairs of eyes turned meaningfully his way. 'Tact, right, I'll just-' he cleared his throat and turned back to study the view intensely.

'There's still the movie,' Carson suddenly declared, breaking the silence that had fallen over the solemn little group.

'Hey, that's a thought,' Elizabeth brightened, a smile blossoming.

'Um,' John broke in from the other side, his tone already apologetic. 'They, uh, already vetoed that one. The fans kind of asked, and it was a no-go...'

'Oh, Elizabeth looked down at her hands, picking absently at her fingernails.

'But they could have been lying, keeping the stoyline under wraps. Wouldn't be the first time,' he added hopefully, trying to sound optimistic.

'True,' Carson replied, and the three of them exchanged glances, attemtping to keep that sliver of hope alive. 'Well,' he went on, 'ah'd best get goin'. We'll see you soon?' he asked Elizabeth.

'Hope so, I'll try, even if the writers don't,' she added. Carson grinned and patted her shoulder, turning away and disappearing into the city.

'Maybe they just didn't like me,' she said, when Sheppard made no attempt to go. I mean, Elizabeth was pretty damn good, don't you think? She wasn't vicious, irritable or bitchy. She was a strong figurehead, able to handle the admin and a gun with equal facility. Maybe some people were too intimidated by such a strong female figure to let her carry on.'

'Could be,' John nodded, 'but what about Carter? She's still alive?'

'Yeah. but she had a crush for three quarters of her run. Fatal flaw. She was allowed to live. And they killed off the boyfriends to keep the crush going. Can't beat unrequited love for a storyline,' she finished matter-of-factly.

'And you, uh, didn't have a,' he cleared his throat, 'a, uh, flaw?' He skipped the word fatal.

She smiled, her eyes sparkling mischieviously. 'Maybe,' she said, 'but then maybe it was subtle enough to be overlooked. And then again, she wouldn't have let it get in her way. Nor would anyone else on Atlantis, I imagine,' she added, throwing him a sideways glance.

'True,' he stood back from the rail. 'So... d'you think the movie'll be less subtle?'

She shrugged, not losing the smile. 'We can hope.'


End file.
